Xiaomi Mi5 “worth waiting for,” CEO promises

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The Xiaomi Mi5 never made an appearance at yesterday’s big event, but the long-rumored smartphone still managed to make headlines. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun promised the upcoming flagship phone will be “worth the wait” when it finally launches.

Lei added that the device will offer the usual high-end specs and custom software without going into any real detail. He also revealed that the Mi5 is “already in use” internally, though it’s still not ready to launch. However, Xiaomi may shorten its production cycle to release the device sooner than planned.

The Mi flagship series typically runs on a pretty long product cycle, which can stretch up to 18 months between new devices. That’s a lifetime compared to the rest of the mobile industry, and Xiaomi may need to speed up its strategy moving forward.

Lei also responded to questions on whether Xiaomi would expand to America or Japan in the near future. He mostly dodged the issue, but noted that the company wants to bring its products to “everyone in the world.”

Xiaomi previously said it would launch in the U.S. eventually, though likely not for a few more years. In the meantime, the company offers some of its accessories and non-mobile gadgets through an online store in America and Europe.